


Baby, it's cold outside

by arcanewiz



Series: Falling for you [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Awkward Tension, Blizzards & Snowstorms, Captain Yahaba Shigeru, First Kiss, Love Confessions, M/M, Third Year Kyoutani Kentarou, Vice-Captain Kyoutani Kentarou, third year Yahaba Shigeru
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-02-07 03:40:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12832539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcanewiz/pseuds/arcanewiz
Summary: Yahaba and Kyoutani started growing a friendship between them over the summer after the third years left them in charge. But after coming so far together, friendship didn't feel like enough and it takes a snowstorm to make them hash it all out.





	Baby, it's cold outside

**Author's Note:**

> i swear it's not creepy like the song the title came from
> 
>  
> 
> Comments and kudos are always welcome!!

Yahaba opened his eyes rather reluctantly, the morning chill that engulfed his bedroom finally waking him up to the pleasant feeling of being wrapped up in warm blankets.

He would rather sleep well into the afternoon and he probably would have done so, if he didn’t already have plans that occupied the rest of his day. Times like this were the ones when he regretted offering to be Kyoutani’s study buddy, but there was no way that he would disappoint Oikawa; or his coach for that matter. He was going to create a strong bond with his ace, even if his patience was drained by the end of the day.

Yet, he lingered; noting that he fell asleep over the covers with his clothes on again, he had to stop doing that. He eventually stood and stretched until his bones cracked into place. One glance out the frosted over window brought a brief smile to his face as he watched the soft snowfall.

He never was, and never will be, a morning person. He was practically dead until he got some food in him, and even then, it was a stretch to communicate with him when his answers were still mostly grunts and hums with a variety of meanings.

While getting ready for the day, he noticed that he was spending too much time worrying about the way he looked. He shouldn’t care. It wasn’t a date. It was just Kyoutani. Kyoutani couldn’t care less about the way Yahaba looks, barely looked at him in the eye anymore. - That had been putting him off the most lately, but he tried to ignore it for the sake of maintaining peace.

Watari mentioned it to him on their way home, how Yahaba always seemed to preen whenever the ace looked their way and how he always passed it off as something he did for the fangirls; and it really was for them, at least for the most part, he didn’t want to admit Watari was right.

The libero was the glue to their trio, Yahaba even found himself enjoying Kyoutani’s company during the summer before the start of their third year, wanting to get a head start on the team bonding. The responsibility thrust upon them by their seniors was a step in the right direction for what he could call the start of a strong, budding friendship.

When they were left together in the club room, however, there was always a tension that Yahaba could never fully understand. It was something that was constantly at the back of his mind that Watari teased him about on a regular basis.

 

_It means nothing. He can’t blame me for wanting to look sharp. I’m doing this for myself._

 

That’s what he told himself as he switched outfits once more; picking up the scattered clothes he tried on previously from the ground once he was satisfied with what he was wearing was a simple afterthought at the back of his mind.

A few hours passed, hours that Yahaba had spent laying on the couch with the television as background noise while occupying himself with his phone. The snow was going strong since the last time he checked, the buzz of the television told him it was going to get worse although he didn’t pay enough attention to the information for it to stick. He was in the middle of typing a snarky remark back to the group chat with the other captains when he heard the doorbell ring.

 

_Oh, right, Kyoutani is coming over. -_ He pretended to remind himself like it hadn’t been the thought clouding his mind all afternoon as he put his phone in his pocket and took his sweet time to get the door.

 

“Took you long enough.” Kyoutani grunted, muffled over the scarf that was snug around his neck, toeing off his shoes as soon as Yahaba let him in. Seeming to melt to a new level of comfort when he felt the warmth of the house wash away the chipping cold weather he endured on the way over.

“I don’t even get a hello?” He feigned offense, bringing a pale hand to his chest that was met with a blank stare that amused him; leading the way upstairs to his bedroom, he said:  “Follow me, we have a lot of work to do.”  
  
“If we have a lot of work to do, then why did you take so long to open the damn door?”

Yahaba simply shrugged, stepping aside when Kyoutani threw his bag on Yahaba’s bed where they always ended up studying. “I like to be fashionably late.”

“This is _your_ home.”

A shrug.

“You like to be a nuisance.”

“Something like that.”

Three hours had passed and Yahaba felt himself shutting down, realizing he had been staring at Kyoutani for at least five minutes just wondering how someone could look so good in only a hoodie and sweatpants; that asshole didn’t even need to try while he had spent so long getting ready in the morning. Even though he always put that kind of pressure on himself anyway, it still annoyed him. He wished he could care less about what others think, Kyoutani makes it look so easy.

“--break.”

Yahaba jumped a bit at the sudden snap back to reality. “Huh?”

“I said we should take a break. We’ve been at this for hours and I’m getting a headache.” Kyoutani huffed, Yahaba was sure his eyes were playing a trick on him when he saw something similar to concern flash through his teammate’s features.

“Sure, I was gonna say the same.” He moved their notebooks out of the way, leaning back on the headboard, resting his eyes. He shifted uncomfortably when he felt Kyoutani’s eyes on him, he opened one eye to confirm his suspicions and closed it once more with a sigh. “What is it?”

“You’ve been acting up around me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Last time I came here, you didn’t try nearly as hard to look pretty.”  
  
“So you think I look pretty.” He grinned.

“I think it’s annoying that you care so much.” He frowned. “But that’s not it. You’ve been distracted lately, you space out too often.”

“I don’t do it during matches or practice, so what’s the problem?”

 

Yahaba really didn’t want to admit that the reason why he spaced out was sitting across from him.

He didn’t want to admit that the events towards the end of their summer together and the shift in their dynamic had made him want Kyoutani as more than a friend. Not because he didn’t accept himself, no, he was more than comfortable with his sexuality and was surprised, lucky, to be accepted by his family as he is. The only thing that stood in his way was the anxiety of ruining their dynamic on the court.

But friendship didn’t feel like enough from Kyoutani, he was greedy.

Any turbulence that happened between them could transfer to the court and put their performance as captains and core members of the team in jeopardy!

Ah, bullshit.

These were all excuses to make himself feel better. They easily kept their disputes outside of the court, it was never really a problem. Especially now that their arguments were much fewer and far inbetween.  

His biggest issue with what he was feeling, was the deep fear of rejection and abandonment that came with all the scenarios he created, all of them with a bad ending. It was the heartache that knocked the life out of him at the mere thought of confessing and losing a friend that he had worked hard to maintain despite never admitting to it.

He prefered to think of it as puppy love instead. Meaningless and temporary.

 

“The problem is that we’re worried about you.” Kyoutani didn’t look annoyed or indifferent, those two being the most common emotions he allowed others to see, the ones he used to keep most people away. Yahaba was surprised to confirm his earlier suspicions of him being genuinely concerned.

He remained silent for a moment, staring him down with a frown. “So Watari told you to ask me about it.”

“So what? It’s not like it makes my concern less genuine, you’re my friend. I want to know why it’s just around me; if I knew it was someone else bothering you I would’ve kicked their ass already. So tell me: what did I do to you?” Kyoutani seemed reluctant to say any of this and it looked rehearsed, but that just meant a lot more, knowing that he had been thinking about it a lot. Yahaba wondered if it kept him up at night.

 

But.

 

_Friends._

  
They’ve never actually said it to each other before, it was just implied when they started spending more time together and a word they both seemed to skirt around while Watari simply said it for them during his speeches when arguments needed be settled by a third party.

 

Yahaba groaned, slumping on the bed. “You didn’t do anything, I’m the problem.” His friend only stared, waiting for him to continue. “Don’t make me say it.”

Kyoutani frowned, pulling his knees close to his chest. “And you’re always weird when we’re close in the locker room or when we have to lock up. Is it because we don’t... “ He groaned, looking like he didn’t want to say it. “Because we don’t talk about our feelings or whatever?”

He only shrugged, eliciting a groan.

 

Talking about personal problems or feelings unrelated to the court, was yet another thing they never did with each other. Watari, always their savior, was the one who bore the burden of late calls or texts whenever they felt the need to talk about what was on their mind.

Yahaba was aware that the fact they closed each other off on that front was keeping them from obtaining a true friendship.  
It wasn’t a lack of trust, no, it was more about stepping over the line.  
They became friends rather recently, they didn’t know where the line was drawn, they didn’t know the boundaries of their relationship so they never pushed past what was already settled.

But Kyoutani looked like he wanted to change that, like he wanted to break down their walls, like he wanted to open up hoping Yahaba would do the same. The ace fidgeted before speaking up again.

 

“If I tell you a secret will you tell me what’s going on with you?”

“You don’t have to tell me anything, we can just get back to work.” Yahaba was about to reach for his notebook when Kyoutani grabbed his wrist, glaring up at him.

“Are you _trying_ to piss me off?” He snarled, letting go when he was sure Yahaba wasn’t going to try again. “I just want to know what the fuck your problem is. Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?”

“This isn’t going how you planned huh.” Yahaba snorted.

“No, it’s not.”  
  
“Did it keep you up at night? Not knowing what I’m thinking about you?” He asked, leaning a little closer to him.

“So it _is_ about me.”

Yahaba only hummed. “You didn’t answer my question. Do I keep you up at night? Were you thinking about how this would go for a long time? Planned what you would say? Offering me a secret in exchange for information, that’s a desperate move coming from you.” He hated himself as soon as he finished talking, the walls were up again and he wanted to keep reinforcing them, hoping Kyoutani would storm off eventually.

“So what if you do make me lose sleep? It’s been weeks since you’ve started doing this and I’m fucking worried about you.”

“Worried. Are you sure you’re not just curious? Doesn’t seem like you to worry, at least not about little ol’ me.” He crawled a bit closer to him. “About Shinji, maybe.”

“Why can’t you just accept that I care about you?!”

Yahaba laughed cynically. “Oh please… It’s us. It’s me. We’re always arguing, right? Should we really not live up to our rep, hm? Shouldn’t we just keep _pretending_ we’re friends?”

 

None of this was true, their arguing was kept at a minimum. They supported each other even more, gave constructive criticism instead of just insulting each other. Everything between them was changing. They care about each other and they both know that, they were simply never brave enough to say it.

 

“Pretending? That’s what you’ve been doing?”

He hesitated but was stupid enough to continue. “Yeah, I’ve just been doing this so we get along on the court, it’s not like I enjoy spending time with you.” He felt even worse with Kyoutani’s piercing gaze on him, analyzing him in silence.

“You’re lying.”  
  
“What?”

“When you lie, you fidget to grab something.”

“Why do you pay so much attention to me?”  
  
“So you’re saying I’m right.”

“You’re dodging the question.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re a liar.”  
  
“Harsh.”

“But true. You constantly lie about how you actually feel, I had to figure out a way to know when you’re bullshitting me.”

“Whatever.” Yahaba groaned.

“I know you consider me a friend, you don’t need to say it. And that’s what I liked about it, not needing to say how we actually feel about each other to be sure.”

“Why are you being so open and _peaceful_? It’s weird.” He groaned.

“It’s not easy for me, alright? I don’t like this sentimental shit. But I think you need to hear it so.” 

“So you’re sacrificing your pride for me?” He chuckled dryly, tucking his hair behind his ear as he looked away from him. “How cute.”

“I’m not trynna be cute. I just want you to listen and answer my questions, stop being a bitter asshole for a second.”

There was a moment of silence that Yahaba broke with a sigh, sitting up straight when he noticed how close he had gotten to Kyoutani.

“I’m sorry? I regretted opening my mouth like halfway through…”

“Then why did you keep going?”

“Because I wanted you to leave so I wouldn’t have to talk about any of this.”

“I just wanna know so I can change whatever it is that I’m doing wrong.” Kyoutani said with a frustrated frown. “I like… I like what we have now. I like being sure that I can trust you, that we’re not just teammates anymore.”

“ _I’m_ the problem, not you.” He shifted uncomfortably under Kyoutani’s expectant gaze. “I don’t know… I’m just…” He groaned at the lack of words on his tongue. “I don’t want to overstep boundaries. Ever since the beginning of this year, I’ve seen you differently, I saw a side of you that made me rethink it all, It… It made me fall for you...” He said quietly, stomach aching with anxiety as he waited for an answer.

“Oh.”

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say?” He felt himself getting annoyed to cover up the panic that started throwing him down, putting himself in a vulnerable position just to get such a simple answer didn’t sit well with him. Not at all.

“I should go.” Kyoutani said as he stood up, gathering his things.  
  
Yahaba didn’t move a muscle to stop him, accompanying him to the door out of mere courtesy but as soon as the door was opened and they got hit with the full strength of the storm, he snapped out of the panicked transe. They forced the door to close with heavy panting, silent as they both processed the situation they were in.

Kyoutani groaned, looking like a caged animal as he clung to his things, scarf hiding the irritated curve of his lips.

They were stuck together and the vibe between them had shifted to complete awkwardness.

Yahaba continued to move silently, going to make a hot drink and offering some to Kyoutani when he noticed he’d been shivering. Out of courtesy, not because he cared about someone who had just ripped his heart out before attempting to run.

He earned a soft thank you from his teammate, one that he ignored as he wrapped himself up in a blanket and sat on the couch, turning the tv on once more, Kyoutani sat next to him eventually.  
  
That’s how it was for about one hour. One hour of complete silence outside of the TV and Yahaba’s phone as it was spammed with texts from his parents, who were making sure he was doing alright since they weren’t going to be able to get home until the the blizzard was over; from what the news was relaying, the storm was going to last overnight. Kyoutani had already called his mother saying he would most likely have to spend the night and she was happy to allow it once she was sure both of them were safe.

“So we’re not going to talk about it?” Kyoutani spoke up after they finished watching yet another movie in stony silence.

“What is there to say?” Yahaba asked coldly.

And silence settled once more.

It was after they had dinner, courtesy of Kyoutani as an attempt at a truce, that the vice-captain grew tired of seeing Yahaba’s pain behind his eyes. He had gone to the mirror in the bathroom to psyche himself up, to tell himself to stop running away and man up about how he felt like Yahaba had done earlier in the day.

They had settled into something less tense, returning to Yahaba’s bedroom and sitting on his bed with soft music in the background - more of the captain’s western garbage, Kyoutani assumed but didn’t complain. - as they read or fiddled with their phones.

After trying and failing to formulate a proper sentence in his mind to explain what was going through his head and why his first instinct was to leave earlier, Kyoutani decided that he wasn’t going to go through the risk of stuttering out an explanation.

So instead, he grabbed the collar of Yahaba’s shirt and pulled him in for an abrupt kiss that was bold and to the point. As soon as the initial surprise went away, the brunette became highly aware of how they were touching, feeling Kyoutani’s hand resting on top of his own somehow sent him reeling more than the kiss itself.

The kiss wasn’t long, Kyoutani was the one to pull away first, cheeks flushed so red that it caused a grin to creep up on Yahaba’s face. Hearts racing painfully in their chests as the brunette place a hand his free hand on his cheek to gently force eye contact, the other squeezing Kyoutani’s hand.

“I really hate you right now.”

“I know, I fucked up earlier… And it’s my fault that I didn’t handle it properly or something…”  
  
Ah. Watari's sympathy speeches must have started taking effect.

“Damn right it was. Not to mention we could’ve spent this whole time making out or cuddling if you actually said something.”

“Wait what.”

Yahaba chuckled and didn’t say much else. He was hurt still, of course he was, it wasn't something he could just erase from his memory. He was pleased with the outcome, that he got a taste of Kyoutani and he felt better to know that at some level he reciprocated his feelings. To what extent, he wasn't quite sure. Nothing was settled really, Yahaba was highly aware of that, knew that it was something they’d need to talk about. But he was perfectly fine with just having Kyoutani’s head on his lap as he ran his fingers through the blonde hair. They could settle it all in the morning.


End file.
